Quang Nam From May 15, Hoi An will sell tickets to tourists on tours, while individual visitors to the ancient town to eat and take photos are not required to buy tickets.
Hoi An will focus on controlling tourists traveling on tours (with tour guides), those who do not buy tickets will not be allowed to enter the ancient town. "Individual tourists and families will be invited to buy tickets, if they buy, that's great, if they don't, that's fine. Tourists coming for dinner, coffee, or wedding photography are not required to buy tickets," said Mr. Nguyen Van Son, Chairman of the city, at a press conference on the afternoon of May 11.
In addition, there will be people welcoming and guiding visitors at the entrances to the old town. Hoi An leaders also said that they will abandon the plan to separate the entrances into two, identifying Hoi An people and tourists. Ticket prices will remain at 120,000 VND for international visitors and 80,000 VND for domestic visitors.
Tours to Hoi An will be controlled remotely (parking lot) and have guides following the routes. There are also inspectors in the old town. If guests are found not buying tickets, they will be asked to leave and the tour guide will be punished according to regulations.
A group of foreign tourists visit Hoi An on the afternoon of May 11. Photo: Dac Thanh
Previously on April 3, Hoi An city announced that it was implementing a plan to strengthen the management of tour guide activities in the ancient town, including selling tickets to all tourists and dividing traffic. The expected time of application is from May 15, ticket sales time is from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily in the summer and 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the winter.
This announcement has met with much opposition. Mr. Son said that the plan has not yet been consulted or debated, so the information about the content and steps is incomplete. This has led many people to misunderstand the method.
Tickets to Hoi An ancient town have been in place since 1995 and have changed prices several times. Those who buy tickets can visit the historical sites, while those who do not buy tickets can only walk around the city. Mr. Son said that recently, many tourism businesses have taken advantage of Hoi An's leniency and treated tourists unfairly. They cut corners and did not take visitors to the historical sites even though they had collected money. Some tours are even organized illegally.
"If Hoi An does not strengthen control, it will eventually become a free tourist destination. Without revenue, it is impossible to renovate, implement cultural activities, ensure security, order and the environment," said the Chairman of Hoi An City, affirming that the process of implementing the fee collection will not affect people's lives, will not be done in a "blocking way", and will not affect the brand "Hoi An, a place of pure humanity".
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